China's ban on plastic waste imports this year has sent the recycling industry into turmoil and put new pressure on plastic manufacturers and governments to find better solutions for the plastic waste problem, a new policy briefing from Rice University concludes.

The oil industry often points to plastics – and the petrochemicals behind them – as key to supporting future demand for oil in the face of flattening demand for gasoline. Houston is one the biggest petrochemical hubs in the country, accounting for about 42 percent of the nation's petrochemical manufacturing capacity, according to the Greater Partnership of Houston.

Since 1950, 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste have been generated, of which 79 percent wound up in landfills or littered in the environment, according to the Rice University briefing.

Now more than 60 countries have introduced bans or levies on single-use plastics – but perhaps most significant is China's refusal to import waste from polymer groups often used in single-use plastic food packaging (polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and polypropylene), the Rice University report suggests. Many chemicals for these plastics are produced in the Houston area.

"This import ban, projected to displace up to 111 million metric tons of plastic waste by 2030, will upend recycling economics, disrupt the global supply chain and further exacerbate the need to globally manage plastics," wrote Rachel Meidl, fellow in energy and environment at the Baker Institute, in the briefing written in late November but released Tuesday.

"China, as well as countries exporting to China, will be forced to establish and improve domestic waste management strategies to account for the prohibition," Meidl said.

Meidl argued there needs to more support from governments, businesses and individuals for technological innovation to divert plastic waste from the environment.

"Ultimately, there is no single, one-size-fits-all solution to the plastics issue," Meidl said. "Any model should move beyond incremental, singular one-off solutions and have a shared vision to drive investment and innovation in the right direction."